Well, sure it
was! Remember, 'back in the day' society was still very use to private clubs
that catered to a certain audience.
Probably most, defiantly
many would have been like the Diogenes Club, you hung out with those of like
mind. If you loved fishing with a worm and cane pole, you probably would not
join a fly-fishing group as it were.
Mostly male
represented activities would be run mostly by males. Likewise, mostly female
represented activities would be run by mostly females.
It wasn’t a
matter of whether that was fair or not, it was just the way society was. And
thankfully that is changing.
And since Holmes
and Watson were, well, male, it would seem most likely that, well, males would
form a club about them.
While there have
probably always been men who have wanted to join a Jane Austin club, it is true
that there have always been women who enjoyed the stories of Sherlock Holmes.
Put since, up
till recently, society has usually separated the genders in clubbable situations;
Sherlockians groups have mostly been male dominated by males.
But for at least
as long as I have been a Sherlockian (the late 70’s) there have been very
knowledgeable and active women in Sherlockian society. But still a limited
number compared to now.
And that brings
up two good points.
One; How much of
this surge in female Sherlockian popularity is because of how handsome Benedict
Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are and the fact that ‘Sherlock’ is set in
modern times? And how fashionable the coupling
of these two is with this modern incarnation of that dynamic duo.
Second; how much
of this new mass female participation will survive when the show comes to an
end?
I am not against
a group of men, or women, who chose to want to hang out in groups with only
their own gender. And I also am okay with groups that want to remain exclusive.
. . even if I don’t want to belong to any of them.
And I am equally
glad of the contribution women make to the world of Sherlock Holmes.
But I think, in a
while, when all the fascination over ‘Sherlock’ goes away we will see, once
again, a decrease in female participation.
I do however hope
that is not the case because they have so much to offer.
Now, actually running a Sherlock Holmes club. . . . . . ;)
Wow - I totally disagree with this opinion of yours -- "And I am equally glad of the contribution women make to the world of Sherlock Holmes. But I think, in a while, when all the fascination over ‘Sherlock’ goes away we will see, once again, a decrease in female participation." I find that women have always been interested in Sherlock Holmes long before Benedict Cumberbatch, and for some reason (hate to use the adjective sexist, but a spade is a spade) the male population hasn't taken notice of that. I've found woman's clubs back in the early 1900's that staged Sherlock Holmes discussion meetings and plays. Just because the male population basically ignored these gatherings they existed. Today I watch and feel much more invigorated by the doings of Baker Street Babes than I do the the B.S.I. I attend 221B Con every year and that event is easily 80% female, and 99% of them know their cannon, or are learning it. Sure Benedict Cumberbatch may have increased the female following, but believe you me, they are here to stay.
ReplyDeleteWell I hope I am proven wrong because I like having women in our groups. And I hope they (the ones at 221bcon stick around. I do however still think only time will tell. But I think your comment of 80% are female at the con kinda proves the point. While I was not there so can not speak from experience the schedule seemed heavy towards non-traditional Holmes and more fanfic. But like I said, I wasn't there.
DeleteAnd the current wave of fanfic is because of 'Sherlock'.
And don't get me wrong, I hope they all stay. I am just curious, thats all.
DeleteAnd whole point was a discussion from one of Brads posts about how it was a "male dominated Sherlockian culture" back in the day.
DeleteEven if, like you said, there were groups of women 'back in the day' who did meet and gather, it doesn't take away from the fact, good or bad, that it was mostly a male dominated collection of Sherlockians.
So, the first question I asked was; One; How much of this surge in female Sherlockian popularity is because of how handsome Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are and the fact that ‘Sherlock’ is set in modern times? And how fashionable the coupling of these two is with this modern incarnation of that dynamic duo."
To which you answered, "Sure B.C. may have increased the female following. . ."
So it would seem we agree there.
And I don't find my second question argumentative; How many will still be around when Sherlock is over?
It's just a curiousity.
No one is saying the presence of more women is bad, quite the opposite.
So, are you disagreeing with me that you don't think the number of women will drastically go down when 'Sherlock' ends, which my question may suggest is my suggestion.
Or do you disagree with something else, like my suggesting in the past it was a male dominated hobby?
No one is suggesting women have never like Holmes till Benedict Cumberbatch came along.
I don't think we disagree as much as you think we do. My question is questioning the longevity of a new group of fans. It is a question, not a judgement.
Nevertheless, as a female Sherlockian responded to me about this blog, "That was a pretty sexist post—innocently sexist, maybe, but still annoying."
ReplyDeleteSo, if men stopped watching Baywatch because they only had male lifeguards would that be true or sexist?
DeleteIf they stayed for the story line, they would be fans of lifeguard shows because of the content. If they left after a short time, they would have been fans of the female lifeguards.
Same question.